Only time will tell if Eelusion becomes a reality

[Editor's Note] Milos Bezanov is a second year student currently studying International Politics at King’s College London.

What's Eelusion? Sounds too similar to illusion to be ignored, but too different to be considered the same. If you're confused, don't worry because we have (some) background info; They're a gaming company that’s based in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The company is held together by a diverse group. Guillaume Vaslin, (CEO and Co-founder) and Stephan Schoenen (Co-founder and head of communications). Both former students at the University Of Arts in Berlin, both are talented creative thinkers, and both are convinced that their talent is needed in the gaming sector. Jurgen Lange, by contrast, is an entrepreneur with seventeen years experience in IT. In charge of financial strategy, he's the go to guy for business. Jason Garber is in charge of production and also brings twenty years experience. Tim Hufermann knows Guillaume and Stephan from their university days, and deals with legal/administration. Still confused? Try re-reading it a few times until it sinks in, because next we're going to try and figure out what keeps this diverse group together.

Eelusion design games “that combine the latest mobile trends..such as geo location and augmented reality”. Terms like “augmented reality” don't really tell us much, and the concept for Eevoo, their first game, is to remain a secret until it's launch later in 2012. Yet there is no doubt that this will be something totally unique. When asked about Eevoo, Guillaume broke it down for us; “Geo, because the game uses location-based features. Social because eevoo provides a strong interaction with other players and social networks. Game because it is an app that is fun”. It is through the social and geographical elements that game aspect links to reality, creating an “interconnected playground”. The expression is not just marketing, for Eevoo's aim is not to be your typical game but rather “a guide throughout the day”. In much the same way, you can use the playground at your leisure, the medium of the playground as a social platform has been transformed onto a social plane. The idea seems to have attracted strong attention also, with Eelusion recently obtaining $1.7 million in seed money from investors.

So how did two kids that came up with a wild idea convince top investors to part with their cash? No doubt the idea is good, but Jurgen points to something else, the people behind it; “Behind eelusion are some creative minds with a wide range of skills...the creative energy of these two (Guillaume and Stephan) is second to none”. Confidence in the individual rather than the idea is sometimes even more important, and Jurgen isn't the only one who sees this. You wouldn't give $1.7 million to just anyone, so in the eyes of the investors, they aren't just anyone. Nevertheless, the toughest questions are yet to be asked. Talk of high investment and creative potential shouldn't let us forget that they are yet to release a game. On top of that, the company is still young, having been founded at the start of 2011, and still has yet to fully establish itself. Any talk of success at this point is mere speculation, but the innovative idea, combined with the team behind it mean there is a good chance that eevoo will do well.

If you've had 20 years experience in the business world, you'd probably think you've seen it all. But that's exactly what keeps this mix of generations together in this “powerful engine”. The uniqueness of this idea most likely took even experienced veterans like Jurgen and Jason by surprise. It's ambitious no doubt. Whatever the exact concept, there are easier things to do with your time than trying to merge real and digital worlds! Despite this, we can't get ahead of ourselves. It seems were caught on interesting boundaries. Eelusion are about to take their first real step in the second half of 2012 by launching their game. They are also on the verge of redefining gaming if it is a success. All these boundaries make the company and it's work that much more exciting, but only time will tell if Eelusion will become a reality. Good luck to them.